Al Neri
Al Neri is one of Michael Corleone's assasins, who later becomes the Corleone underboss. He is played by Richard Bright. Biography Neri began his career as a New York City policeman where he earned a reputation as a legitimately tough officer thanks to his fiece temper and quick reflexes. He frequently patrolled with a large flashlight which he used to great effect, either cracking the foreheads of Italian youths that ran with street gangs or shattering the windshields of diplomats who showed no regard for traffic laws. After his wife Rita left him in fear of his temper, he killed violent pimp Wax Baines by shattering his skull with the flashlight and was convicted of manslaughter. Tom Hagen and Pete Clemenza saw in his record a parallel to Luca Brasi, Vito Corleone's previous enforcer, and arranged for his release from prison. Michael, appealing to Neri's sense of loyalty and Sicilian roots, recruited him into Clemenza's regime where he "made his bones" and became Michael's chief lieutenant. When Michael ordered the assassination of the heads of the five New York Families, at the end of The Godfather: Part One, Neri was responsible for the murder of Emilio Barzini, donning his old police uniform in order to arrange an ambush on the courthouse steps as Barzini was leaving. He also killed Barzini's top button man shortly after with a meat cleaver. When Michael and his family moved to Nevada, Neri became head of security for all hotels controlled by the Corleones. In The Godfather: Part II, Neri is certainly seen to be an unofficial second-in-command to Michael. He functions as one of Michael's caporegimes after the betrayal of Salvatore Tessio, the death of Clemenza and the suicide of Frank Pentangeli. He is responsible for a prostitute's murder that guarantees the loyalty of Senator Pat Geary. He also forced Meyer Klingman, a rival hotel owner, into selling out to the Corleones. Neri was also personally responsible for the assassination of Michael's brother Fredo Corleone, under Michael's orders for Fredo's previous betrayal. In the 1960s, Al began to work closely with his nephew Tommy, who had also been accepted into the Family business. The two of them were instrumental in the search for the turncoat Nick Geraci, and interrogated Nick's father Fausto for information. Geraci died from his wounds without revealing anything. When the traitor was found, Neri was injured in a shootout, but managed to survive and witness Geraci's execution at the hands of Eddie Paradise. By the time of The Godfather: Part III, the aging assassin was still working for the Corleones, his loyalty to Michael extending to the new Don, Michael's nephew Vincent, who he assited in helping Michael escape a Commission meeting that was being attacked by Joey Zasa. It was Neri and Connie Corleone who gave the go-ahead for Vincent's assasination of Joey Zasa shortly after. His talents were called upon once again at the conclusion of the film when Vincent ordered him to kill Archbishop Gilday in revenge for the priest's intrigue against the family. Category: Corleones Category: Underbosses